Livelihood NW

What Livelihood NW does

Livelihood NW is a 501c3 non-profit organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon, providing free and low-cost business development support services to small business owners across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Founded in January 2019 as a spin-off from Portland State University's Business Outreach Program (which had operated since 1994), the organization carries forward over 30 years of practitioner experience and institutional relationships. Its service portfolio operates as a continuum: entry-level offerings include Open Business Advising and Open Accounting Advising (free 30-minute to 1-hour sessions in English and Spanish), augmented by public Workshops & Trainings; mid-tier programs include GroundWork for Small Business and Increase Project cohort programs; and the upper tier is anchored by Ascend, an advanced strategy cohort for established businesses. In 2025, Livelihood NW became the new home of the Oregon Women's Business Center (OWBC), expanding dedicated services for women entrepreneurs through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

The organization employs approximately 12 staff members and operates with no proprietary technology platform — its delivery model is based on scheduled one-on-one advising (primarily remote via video conferencing), cohort-based programming, workshops, and a Client Directory website feature for client visibility. Bilingual English/Spanish delivery and co-location within the Place to B coworking space in Portland support accessibility. The technology footprint is minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website, standard social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), and an email newsletter.

Livelihood NW's revenue model is non-profit: services are free or low-cost, funded through grants, donations, and core sponsorships from Prosper Portland, Business Oregon, JPMorgan Chase (as part of its $150 million Small Business Forward program), the U.S. Small Business Administration (via the OWBC cooperative agreement), and Oregon Community Foundation. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven — open advising requires no application, community partners refer businesses through the "Connect a Business" program, and a public workshop calendar drives top-of-funnel engagement. In 2025, the organization served 833+ entrepreneurs, with 675 receiving one-on-one support and a 4.9/5 client satisfaction rating from 133 survey respondents.

Name

Livelihood NW

Legal name

Livelihood NW

Website

https://livelihoodnw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Livelihood NW is a Portland-based 501c3 non-profit providing free and low-cost business development support services, including advising, workshops, and cohort programs, to small business owners across Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Small Business Development Services

NAICS

Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Small Business & Self-Employment Personal Finance (Income, Expenses, Cash Reserves) (EDAAAJAL), Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

Keywords

• Small business advising
• Business development services
• Entrepreneurship support
• Non-profit consulting
• Small business workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: Non-profit funded by grant funds and donations from sponsors and community supporters. Services are free and low-cost based on sponsorship availability.
2. Sponsorship Programs: Supported by core sponsors including Prosper Portland, Business Oregon, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Small Business Administration, and Oregon Community Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Livelihood NW provides free and low-cost business development support services to small business owners throughout Oregon and SW Washington. Core offerings include one-on-one Open Business Advising and Open Accounting Advising, cohort-based long-term programs (GroundWork, Increase Project, Ascend), public workshops and trainings, bookkeeping support, and the Oregon Women's Business Center for women entrepreneurs. Services are delivered in English and Spanish by a team of business advisors.

Product overview

Livelihood NW is a non-profit organization offering a unified portfolio of free and low-cost business development support services to small business owners throughout Oregon and SW Washington. The organization's offering is structured as a continuum of programs rather than a single product, including Open Business Advising and Open Accounting Advising as entry-level services, Long Term Business Support for intensive ongoing assistance, and specialized programs such as GroundWork for Small Business, Increase Project, and Ascend for cohort-based growth strategies. The Oregon Women's Business Center (OWBC) operates as a branded sub-program focused on women entrepreneurs. Additional offerings include Workshops & Trainings for skills development, In-Depth Bookkeeping Support for financial management, and a Client Directory platform for business visibility. All services are available in English and Spanish and are offered on a non-discriminatory basis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ascend: Advanced Strategy Cohorts program providing established businesses with personalized strategies for growth.
• Increase Project
• GroundWork
• Open Business Advising
• Open Accounting Advising
• In-Depth Bookkeeping Support

Products and services

• Open Business Advising Free one-on-one business advising sessions where entrepreneurs can discuss any business questions, get resource navigation assistance, or receive strategic planning guidance. Available in both English and Spanish to entrepreneurs in Oregon and SW Washington.
• Open Accounting Advising Free accounting-focused advising sessions to help entrepreneurs with bookkeeping, financial management, and accounting questions.
• Long Term Business Support Ongoing business development support programs for eligible businesses, offering free and low-cost intensive assistance including meeting availability, expanded referrals and subsidies, and marketing opportunities.
• Workshops & Trainings Public workshops covering topics ranging from Business Development to Bookkeeping, designed to help entrepreneurs gain skills, tools, and connections to move their businesses forward.
• Oregon Women's Business Center (OWBC) A program providing comprehensive business support services specifically focused on women entrepreneurs, funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
• GroundWork for Small Business A cohort-based business development program providing intensive support to small business owners through collaborative learning and individualized advising.
• Increase Project A multi-month cohort program helping established business owners develop growth strategies, with participants creating 3-year growth plans and receiving ongoing support.
• Ascend A corporate-funded program providing established businesses with personalized strategies for growth, with goals of increasing revenue, accessing new markets, creating and retaining jobs, and securing financial capital.
• In-Depth Bookkeeping Support One-on-one bookkeeping assistance and training to help entrepreneurs build financial management skills and understand their business numbers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 833+ entrepreneurs served per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Portland State University (PSU)foundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Public/private partnership maintained after Livelihood NW spun off from PSU in January 2019. Previously operated as PSU Business Outreach Program since 1994, providing professional business development support to entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SCORE: National SBA-affiliated nonprofit network providing free business mentoring and advising to entrepreneurs. Direct peer to Livelihood NW in model and target client: free-to-client, federally-supported business advising for small business owners, including ongoing mentorship programs.
• Pacific Northwest SBDC at Portland State University: The very SBDC program at PSU from which Livelihood NW originally spun off in 2019. Today operates as a parallel SBA-funded SBDC in the same geography with overlapping target market — essentially a sibling program operating from the same parent institution.
• Oregon SBDC: Oregon's Small Business Development Center network, an SBA-funded resource partner providing free business advising and training to Oregon small businesses. Direct peer in geography, funding source (SBA), and service offering (free business advising, workshops, cohort programs).
• LatinoBuilt: Oregon-based nonprofit serving Hispanic/Latino small business owners and contractors with business development resources, advocacy, and networking. Direct peer to Livelihood NW's bilingual program given shared focus on Hispanic/Latine-owned enterprises in Oregon.
• Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO): Portland-based nonprofit providing business development services, training, and microloans to underserved entrepreneurs in Oregon and SW Washington. Direct peer in geography, mission, target demographics, and service mix including advising and access to capital.

Others

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Major US foundation focused on entrepreneurship education and research, funding entrepreneur support programs nationwide. Adjacent to Livelihood NW's mission via shared focus on entrepreneurship as economic mobility, and is a potential funder peer for the same grant dollars.
• JPMorgan Chase Small Business Forward: A $150M JPMorgan Chase philanthropic initiative supporting women, minority, and veteran entrepreneurs through partner organizations including Livelihood NW. Functions as a funder/ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but shapes the broader competitive landscape by directing capital to similar nonprofits.

Broad incumbents

• Women's Business Center (SBA national network): National SBA-funded network of Women's Business Centers operating across the US to support women entrepreneurs. Livelihood NW's Oregon WBC operates within this network; other WBCs are peers delivering similar federally-funded programs to women-owned businesses nationwide.

Regional players

• Mercy Corps Northwest: Portland-based nonprofit addressing poverty and economic opportunity through business development, financial services, and asset-building programs for underserved entrepreneurs. Regional peer serving overlapping populations (low-income and minority small business owners) with complementary community development approach.
• Bento Cafe:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LivelihoodNW
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/livelihoodnw
• Instagraminstagram.com/livelihoodnw
• Xx.com/livelihoodnw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Livelihood NW